Psalms One Hundred and Eleven and One Hundred and Twelve may
have come from the same author.The
themes and language appear similar, and both hymns follow an acrostic pattern
(each line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet).
Thematically, this Psalm resembles Psalm One in the contrast between the
blessed of the righteous and the destruction of the ungodly, a contrast
developed more fully in Psalm One.This
hymn centers attention more on the blessings of the righteous, and it only
mentions the plight of the wicked in the final verse.

This is another of the so-called Wisdom Psalms, and it lists
the characteristics and blessings of the Lord’s people, as this Psalmist
understood.It lacks a logical
structure, like other wisdom books (See Proverbs), but it does share an
interesting connection with the previous Psalm.Psalm One Hundred and Eleven describes some of the attributes of
Jehovah, and Psalm One Hundred and Twelve attributes several of the same
characteristics to the righteous.Perhaps the author sought to imply that God’s people, as they grow in
grace, increasingly (but imperfectly) take on the characteristics of the Lord:
gracious, merciful, compassionate to the poor, faithful, just, trustworthy.

Lesson Outline:

I.The Character of the Righteous Man (v. 1): This Psalm,
like the previous chapter, begins with “praise the Lord.”This seems a fitting introduction to the hymn
because the Lord deserves the glory for the development of the godly man’s
character.In this case, the psalmist
highlighted two characteristics.

A.“blessed is the man who fears
the Lord” (v. 1a): The Hebrew word yara
(fear) appears frequently in the Old Testament.At times, it denotes genuine fear, like the terror God
threatened to strike in the
hearts of the Assyrians, in Isaiah 30:31. Other passages use yara to describe the respect a person
might have for a parent, master, or king.Very often, however, the Old Testament uses this word to reflect the
believer’s attitude toward God.It
entails reverence, submission, and awe.

B.“who greatly delights in his commandments” (v. 1b): The
ungodly man may “obey” the letter of the law of God, but he has no delight in
the service of the Lord.For the godly
person, obedience brings great joy.This
joy does not focus on self-righteous delight in one’s moral superiority to
others; rather, it finds delight in the character and works of Jehovah.

II.The Blessedness of the Righteous Man (vv. 2-9)

A.“his offspring
will be mighty in the land” (v. 2): This verse promised ancient Israel that
holiness would bring great prominence and influence to the children of the
godliness man.Perhaps this promise also
implied the military security of Israel.

B.“wealth and riches are in his house, and his
righteousness endures forever” (v. 3): The passage promises prosperity to those
who continue in righteousness.For this
godly man, obedience does not come in fits and spells; rather, his
righteousness endures forever.

C.“light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is
gracious, merciful, and righteous” (v. 4): The righteous man will encounter
times of darkness, but the light of the Lord will overcome the gloom. The godly
man reflects the attributes of the Lord (See Psalm 111:4).

D.It is well with the man deals generously and lends; who
conducts his affairs with justice” (v. 5): This promise deals with the godly
man’s business affairs.Things will go
well for him because he manages his business life with equity, justice, and
compassion.The Mosaic Law provided
strict rules governing lending, laws the demanded the Lord’s people to exercise
generosity, kindness, and fairness (See Leviticus 25:35-38).

E.“for the righteous will never be moved; he will be
remembered forever” (v. 6): This verse is reminiscent of Psalm 1:3 comparing
the godly man to a tree planted by a river; strong, secure, and fruitful.Moreover, he will leave a posterity for
generations to remember.

F.“he will not be afraid of bad news; his heart is firm,
trusting in the Lord” (v. 7): Ill times will come, but the righteous one trusts
the Lord to bring his people through the difficulties.

G.“his heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he
looks in triumph on his enemies” (v. 8): The text does not deny that he will
have enemies, but it promises that the righteous one will triumph over his
adversaries.

H.“he has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted forever.” (v. 9): Like
Verse Five, this passage extols the virtue of generosity, especially to the
poor.He not only gives faithfully; he
gives freely, willingly, joyously. The “horn” is a symbol for strength.

III.The Plight of
the Wicked (v. 10)

A.“the wicked man sees it and is angry” (v. 10a): The
ungodly man envies the prosperity and blessedness of the righteous.

C.“the desire of the wicked will
perish” (v. 10c): He has no hope for the future.All of his dreams will turn to dust, and his
life will prove vain and empty.

A Personal Word:

Interpreting this Psalm, for me, proves very difficult.The language and sentence structure don’t
trouble me; rather, the theology of the hymn seems problematic, in some
ways.The Psalm makes several stark,
unconditional statements that, on the surface, seem to contradict other parts of
Scripture and move counter to personal experience.What does the author mean when he makes
absolute statements about the prosperity and success of the righteous man?Consider these assertions:

“His descendants will be mighty in the land…”

“Wealth and riches are in his house…”

“It is well with the man who deals generously and lends…”

“For the righteous will never be moved…”

“He is not afraid of evil tidings…”

“… his horn is exalted in honor…”

Do good, godly people always and unfailingly enjoy
prosperity, riches, family concord, and steadfastness?Frankly, the godly man does not always meet
with material blessings or seamless family experiences.Some godly people have rebellious children or
suffer from severe persecution and deprivation.How does this Psalm relate to the pastoral needs of the suffering
saints? The apparent incongruity between the goodness of God and the pain of
life has caused many to question the validity of the claims of the Judeo-
Christian tradition.

I do not have cheap, easy answers to these questions, and,
honestly, I distrust those who claim they possess such wisdom.Here’s my concern about teaching this
passage.No doubt, many of you teachers
will, this Sunday, speak to some suffering people, people who suffer for no apparent reason.Wrongly handled, the stark claims of this
passage may add deep injury to those who need your comfort and support.

For instance, in these dire economic circumstances, some of
you may work with families whose houses are not full of wealth and riches, as
they face the holiday season. Other may
teach parents with rebellious children, and these poor folks do not enjoy the
encouragement of children who are mighty in the land.Perhaps some of you will address folks who
have been profoundly shaken by death of a loved one or catastrophic medical
news.Shouldn’t the Lord’s people
exercise great care toward those who suffer, when applying the teachings of the
Scripture?

Dear readers, remain faithful to the lesson text, but apply
its meaning with tenderness and compassion.Do not harm.